TEMPE, Ariz. – Kianna Ibis scored a game-high 14 points and teammates Courtney Ekmark and Robbi Ryan added 12 points each to help the No. 19 Arizona State women's basketball team earn its third straight victory – and the ASU Classic championship – with a 70-52 win over a very game Tulsa squad on Sunday.
Ibis, who added eight rebounds and two assists, was named tournament MVP for the second straight year and was joined on the all-tournament team by Ekmark and Reili Richardson. It was also the second straight year for Richardson being named to the all-tournament team. The junior point guard was outstanding all weekend as she had 10 assists and only one turnover while shooting 62.5 percent in ASU's wins over Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. Richardson was equally brilliant on both ends of the floor on Sunday as she had nine points (4-5 FGs) and a game-high seven assists while also contributing a pair of blocks.
Ekmark drained half of her attempts (6-12) from downtown in the two wins while also averaging 4.5 rebounds. She also served up five assists in Saturday's win over Louisiana Tech.
Jamie Ruden added nine points and Kiara Russell scored six while also contributing five assists with only one turnover against Tulsa.
Ibis (eight rebounds), Ekmark (five rebounds) and Charnea Johnson-Chapman and Sophia Elenga (five rebounds each) combined to post 23 rebounds, more than half of ASU's 44 boards for the game.
While ASU (5-2) shot 56 percent in the first quarter, the Sun Devils found themselves with only a slight 21-19 lead at the end of the first stanza.
Although it had offensive success from the start, it was not until the second quarter when ASU started to find its defensive groove as it held Tulsa to a single field goal over the first 6:30 of the quarter. The Sun Devils would make the most of Tulsa's offensive inactivity as it rolled to a 10-point lead midway through the period after Jamie Loera's 3-pointer gave ASU a 31-21 advantage.
Tulsa would fight back and was able to whittle ASU's lead down to seven at the half.
The Sun Devils came out in the third quarter and seized command of the game, scoring the first six points of the frame to take a 44-29 lead after Ibis' jumper 3:45 into the second half.
Although Tulsa continued to play hard, it was never able to seriously threaten the Sun Devils, who would maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
After Tulsa got within 12 midway through the fourth quarter ASU used an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the contest after Ruden's 3-pointer put ASU up 64-46 with four minutes left.
Ryan, who scored eight points in the final quarter, helped ASU seal the win by scoring six straight points in the game's final minutes.
The Sun Devils will now turn their attention to final exams before resuming play on Friday (6 p.m. MT) when they host Southern University at Wells Fargo Arena.
Ibis, who added eight rebounds and two assists, was named tournament MVP for the second straight year and was joined on the all-tournament team by Ekmark and Reili Richardson. It was also the second straight year for Richardson being named to the all-tournament team. The junior point guard was outstanding all weekend as she had 10 assists and only one turnover while shooting 62.5 percent in ASU's wins over Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. Richardson was equally brilliant on both ends of the floor on Sunday as she had nine points (4-5 FGs) and a game-high seven assists while also contributing a pair of blocks.
Ekmark drained half of her attempts (6-12) from downtown in the two wins while also averaging 4.5 rebounds. She also served up five assists in Saturday's win over Louisiana Tech.
Jamie Ruden added nine points and Kiara Russell scored six while also contributing five assists with only one turnover against Tulsa.
Ibis (eight rebounds), Ekmark (five rebounds) and Charnea Johnson-Chapman and Sophia Elenga (five rebounds each) combined to post 23 rebounds, more than half of ASU's 44 boards for the game.
While ASU (5-2) shot 56 percent in the first quarter, the Sun Devils found themselves with only a slight 21-19 lead at the end of the first stanza.
Although it had offensive success from the start, it was not until the second quarter when ASU started to find its defensive groove as it held Tulsa to a single field goal over the first 6:30 of the quarter. The Sun Devils would make the most of Tulsa's offensive inactivity as it rolled to a 10-point lead midway through the period after Jamie Loera's 3-pointer gave ASU a 31-21 advantage.
Tulsa would fight back and was able to whittle ASU's lead down to seven at the half.
The Sun Devils came out in the third quarter and seized command of the game, scoring the first six points of the frame to take a 44-29 lead after Ibis' jumper 3:45 into the second half.
Although Tulsa continued to play hard, it was never able to seriously threaten the Sun Devils, who would maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
After Tulsa got within 12 midway through the fourth quarter ASU used an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the contest after Ruden's 3-pointer put ASU up 64-46 with four minutes left.
Ryan, who scored eight points in the final quarter, helped ASU seal the win by scoring six straight points in the game's final minutes.
The Sun Devils will now turn their attention to final exams before resuming play on Friday (6 p.m. MT) when they host Southern University at Wells Fargo Arena.